The Vitamin Vegetable Garden

Vitamin A and C are known cancer preventers. In order to get the most out of your nutritious vegetable garden, follow these suggestions.

Planting

1. In general, plan your vegetable garden North-South, because of the sun
2. Crop rotation is very important. Never plant Tomatoes or Potatoes in the same area two years in a row.
3. Tall crops (pole beans) on the East side of the garden

Location

The best site of your vegetable garden is one with:

• Minimum amount of sunlight, 6-8 hours
• Good soil drainage
• Reflected sunlight from fence or wall is an asset
• Good air circulation.???????

DO NOT locate your vegetable garden within eight feet of the trunks of shrubs or trees.

Soil

Good garden soil consists of large amounts of organic material. Organic material such as composted sheep or cow manure should be worked deep into the soil. For best results this should be done in late fall.

The soil pH should be 6.5-6.8. Soil testing should be done after harvesting but before freeze up.

The Vitamin ?A? and ?C? Vegetable Garden

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Companion Planting

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Watering

The main reason to water your vegetable garden is to supply sufficient moisture to the roots of the plant. About 1? per week, depending on weather conditions. Dry-windy weather takes a lot of moisture from the plant.

-Never use cold water when watering. Gather water in a barrel or pail the day before you are watering.

-Watering should be done before sundown or early in the morning.

-Water close to the plant

-The use of mulch between rows:

• Adds organic matter to the soil
• Prevents water loss from soil through surface evaporation
• Reduces soil compaction
• Prevents the growth of weeds
• Keeps nutrients in the soil
• Maintains soil temperature for a longer time
• Promotes the growth of earth worms
• Protects shallow rooted plants from too much heat
• Maintains the proper pH of your soil
• Decorative

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Insect Control

When you dust or spray organic or chemical insecticides, do it just before sunset. As a rule, insects are late eaters. Always follow directions as suggested by the manufacturer.

Fertilizer

Before digging in spring, apply granular fertilizer half the recommended rate, use the remainder later as a side dressing.

Fertilizer major ingredients are:

?????????????? Nitrogen ???????????? = Greening of the leaves
?????????????? Phosphorous????? = Promotes root growth and flowers
?????????????? Potassium?????????? = Hardiness and root growth

When to Side-Dress

Most vegetables benefit from a ?second? fertilizer feeding during the growing season. The fertilizer can be granular or liquid.

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Insect Control Guide

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Gardening Information

1.????? The following plants are a deterrent to insects:

• Marigolds
• Asters
• Nasturtium???
• Geranium
• Chrysanthemum

Plant some in or around your vegetable garden

2.????? Prevention of Cutworm damage. (Tomatoes ? pepper ? eggplant)

• You can place toothpicks around the plants or,
• Wrap 4? x 4? strips of aluminum foil around the plant. 2? above and 2? below the soil surface at time of planting

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3.????? Good organic management practices for your nutritious vegetable garden

• Crop rotation = change every year
• When seeding or planting use disease resistant varieties.
• Good weed control
• Frequent general garden inspections

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?4.????? Calories can be burned by:

• Digging ? 516 calories per hour.
• Mowing ? 458 calories per hour.
• Raking ? 222 calories per hour
• Weeding ? 295 calories per hour.

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?5.????? Tomato Diseases: Most common is ?Blossom End Rot? due to:

• Improper watering
• Calcium deficiency when fruit is forming
• Too much Nitrogen fertilizer
• Excessive root pruning. This happens when you are cultivating (raking/hoeing) too close to the roots.

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6.????? Lady Bugs ? Larvae and adult can eat 40 Aphids at least an hour. An asset to your garden

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7.????? Composting: Materials to use in your compost pile:

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Harvest Vegetables at their best

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